Arch's eyes widened as he took in the most neutral expression and stance I could manage, despite being one statement away from clocking him in the face. The crunch of his nose against my fist would be so much more satisfying than the punching bag at the gym and no one would be the wiser in this soundproofed both except when the bruising came later. He stood stiffly as if he sensed the imminent danger.
"Selene, you must want to kill me."
The dry chuckle escaped my lips before I could contain it. But perhaps leaning into my vengeful side initially wasn't the worst idea. I wasn't an emotional suppressing bot who unconditionally supported someone with a smile. If he was going to buy my forgiveness act, I'd have to show him some anger and let him reel me in.
"A bit."
He ran a hand over his hair, and his shaved jaw tensed. "I never meant for this to happen."
"Wow, your excuses are as original as your inventions tonight. Did you poach everything you've ever done?"
It felt satisfying to snipe at him, and even better to see the light fade from his naturally hazel eyes. At least he'd had the sense to let his teal-eyed illusion go with me.
He winced and shook his head. "No, and I never wanted this to get developed without you."
Easy to say once he had shut me out of the entire development and pitch process. Now I'd only ever be the 'inspiration' and 'supportive partner.'
"You knew I was waiting to pitch this until we were more experienced. They will steamroll any of our objections. That has real consequences, like my mom..."
I ran my hand over my brow to fight the unease bubbling in my chest. Would I ever recover if I lost her or the person she had been my entire life? All because I caught feelings for a supposedly brilliant and charming inventor. If only I were aromantic instead of asexual, I wouldn't have put my family at risk.
As Arch stepped closer, I muttered, "Don't."
Despite being a potentially powerful false reconciling moment, the thought of his touch or consolation made my skin crawl. He hung his head, and his hands ran up and down the dark pants of his suit.
"Selene, I asked Ravi how much time a product like this would take to develop, and it's at least five years if not ten before it'll be accessible to everyday consumers. Your mom may not be able to wait that long."
Was he that much of a snake to use my mom against me?
I kept my tone steady. "My mom's fine."
"She's referred to me as 'your inventor friend' for six months."
Soon she'd been calling him 'that backstabbing asshole', but that letting that loose would blow my cover.
She had called him 'inventor friend' a few times, but she always had her own way of referring to things like rain capes for ponchos or junior bears instead of cubs. She used the terms endearingly because of how we met.
"You can't judge one nickname."
Arch's voice softened. "Selene, you might not want to see it, but her short-term memory is worsening. Her long-term memory is strong, but when you leave the room, it's obvious because she and I don't share that many memories."
I swallowed hard. Arch had to be manipulating me because I would have seen my mom's memory fading. Wouldn't my brother have noticed too? He would say something, right? Or would they lie to me to protect my feelings?
But mentioning it now when Arch wanted forgiveness was suspicious.
"And you've just been waiting to say something?"
He fidgeted with the cuffs of his suit. "I brought it up after our trip to the Crystal Coast, but you deflected with an excuse. I get that it's hard to talk about, but it doesn't stop it from happening."
I dug my nails into my palms. Dismissing an idea and stealing were not equal crimes.
He stared at the ground then glanced up at me. He opened his lips as if he were about to speak but they froze in place, and he sighed with frustration. "When I asked Ravi, I did it for you, and I've always wanted us to work on this together and to help you."
"Help me by what, stealing the entire concept and pretending it's yours?"
My words deflated his posture more and his voice grew fainter.
"Inno-Tech offered fast-tracking and a robust development team, unlike anything I've seen before. It's huge and unprecedented."
Who was this man and where was the guy I'd fallen in love with? Arch Kenton invented for the greater good, not money or ladder climbing. Had he betrayed me for cash and fame?
"I'm sure they can't wait to be a data bank for Cyville's memories. They'll sell that to the highest bidder with more shady contracts." We were just cogs in the capitalist machine.
"Ravi said with this support, the invention will be marketable to the public in three years, and your mom will be one of the first people to get access with no fees or subscriptions for life. It's in the contract."
It was difficult to take that at face value, given how much he'd misunderstood about it earlier. But if he believed the promise was there, I could verify it, and he knew me well enough to sense I would, so it couldn't be that fabricated. But even if he wanted to help my mom, he was still a lying thief.
"Why hide this from me?"
His fingers tapped on the table in the center of the booth.
"For investors to fully fund this, the invention had to come from a recognizable name, not just be supported by one. It's wrong, and I wanted to tell you, but when I signed that contract, they control chipped me, and I couldn't override it. I still can't."
That sounded like Inno-Tech. It would also explain why he hadn't apologized or admitted he'd stolen it because it was possible he couldn't. I sighed, my hot breath dancing against my lips. That still didn't absolve him.
"What about before you signed?"
"They did a memory scan before offering me the contract. If I'd told you, it would have voided the deal, and they clearly said they would work on it with or without me. I screwed up by telling Ravi, and the only way to fix it seemed to be keeping some control."
Was I supposed to trust any of his words? He screwed up and now I suffered while he got rich and famous.
I took a steadying breath. It didn't matter if I trusted him because Ash had instructed me to stay close to the project for my safety and to take Arch down. But it was still hard to swallow this betrayal, and forgiving him was beyond me right now.
"So I'm supposed to waltz into a meeting with a smile and compliment my brilliant boyfriend?"
I tried my best not to grimace at the word. Pretending to be together would be harder than I imagined.
"Of course not. I took an enormous risk with the contract, and you might want nothing to do with me ever again, and I wouldn't blame you. If that is your choice, your mom will still get first access, which comes with the right of refusal if either of you is uncomfortable with the final invention."
If that was true, it fit Arch's pre-betrayal sweet nature. All of his actions before the presentation pointed towards him being afraid to lose me too, which meant he felt some sort of remorse, or his acting craft was beyond what I'd imagined. That possibility terrified me.
"Don't let your frustration with me shut you out of this opportunity. You should be in that investors' meeting and in the lab developing this, not watching it resentfully from the outside. With all this funding, this idea could help so many people sooner than you imagined. I've always adored that your compassion drives you to invent. It's why I fell in love with you, and it's why you should be on the development team."
My chest grew tighter. I didn't want to still love this man, but I did. He understood me, which both comforted and terrified me since he knew what would work on me.
But he and Ash both stressed I'd fight Inno-Tech and this theft better from the inside.
"Would I have to sign any agreements to come to the investor's meeting?" I asked.
"Only the code of silence."
That would come with a control chip like Arch's. I was always eager to remove those at the end of high-security projects and feel like I could speak freely again.
"Any long-term obligation?"
"Not yet."
I suspected that wouldn't last long, and they'd have some kind of tactic ready to ensure my silence and inability to develop a competing product. They may leverage my mom and employment against me too. But at least from inside I could develop a product that might help. From the outside, I'd be useless.
"Okay."
"You'll come?" His eyes brightened.
"Just to the meeting."
He hurried toward me, but my expression must have stopped him.
"And us?"
I considered lying and saying things were fine. It would lower his suspicions, but I wasn't ready to be that doting girlfriend and I couldn't convincingly act through it. But if I gave him hope of a future, he'd have to work for my forgiveness, both distracting him and making him more vulnerable. That would give me the upper hand.
"We're not okay, but we're also not beyond repair."
Arch's chest rose and fell as he chewed on his bottom lip. His eyes glistened with unshed tears he was surely using to manipulate me.
"I will make this up to you. I really do love you." The bastard still used the same sensitive tone that tugged at my heart. I took a deep breath and shoved my feelings down.
"If this helps my mom, we'll see, and if it hurts her, I'll never forgive you."
When Arch nodded, we left the room together. I wasn't sure I was ready to see what these wolves had in store for my invention, but knowing was better than being shut out.
Word count: 1662
Shout out to empiresofwater and her wonderful ONC entry 'Chimera'. The suspense in her entry is masterful as Leanne investigates the eerie empty ship Chimera that appears in Martian airspace. It's a wonderful combination of thriller and science fiction that will have your mind spinning with new theories each chapter. I highly recommend checking it out!
Good look to everyone who entered their stories in round 1 and to those who didn't but are still going with a prompt :) I look forward to catching up with all of your entries soon.